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In The Potter’s Hands

Posted on 14 Apr 2019, Pastor: Tolu Makinde

Title: In The Potter’s Hands

Text: Jer. 18:1-6

[Jer 18:1] The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying:

[Jer 18:2] “Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause you to hear My words.”

[Jer 18:3] Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something at the wheel.

[Jer 18:4] And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make.

[Jer 18:5] Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying:

[Jer 18:6] “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?” says the LORD. “Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel!

Introduction

The Lord commanded Jeremiah to go to the potter’s house and caused him to hear His words
I pray that God will position you where you will be able to hear Him clearly in Jesus name.
Jeremiah went to the potter’s house and saw that the potter was making “something” at the wheel
What he was making was marred (defective) in his hands
So, he made it again into another vessel – as it seemed good to the potter
Then God spoke, “Can I not do with you as this potter?”

Main Topic

Journey of Life

The Potter
- The Potter in our journey of life is God Himself
- The Potter must be skilled, God is highly skilled in making us into who we are supposed to be
- The Potter must be patience, God is patient with us, waiting years for us to come to Him
- The Potter must be gentle, the gentleness of God is what is still keeping us today

The Clay
- The Clay is us
- We have no shape to start with because out of the dust of the ground we were formed
- We must allow God to shape us into the person we were created to be
- We must not be too rigid in the hands of God, otherwise, we will not become that vessel He wanted to create

The Wheel
- The wheel is the earth we are in. It is constantly spinning
- The speed at which it spins is sometimes fast and sometimes slow, or so it seems

The Water
- The water in this case is the Holy Spirit
- When the Potter adds water to the clay, it softens the clay
- When God adds the Holy Spirit to our lives, it softens our hardened heart
- From that softness, God begins to mold us into who we are supposed to be

Stages of Life

Raw clay – No shape, just a blob of clay
Clay on the wheel
Potter adds water – God gives us the Holy Spirit
Potter molds the clay – God molds us into the vessel He wants us to be
Then heat is applied at 850 degrees Celcius – that’s when we go through trying, challenging, and difficult times
Decoration of the vessel – finally, God decorates our lives and we become the vessel He created

Saul of Tarsus

In Acts 7, Saul was there when Stephen was being persecuted and stoned to death
In Acts 8, Saul persecuted Christians, causing many to flee for their lives
In Acts 9, with a letter from the High Priest, Saul was going to Damascus to find more Christians to persecute. However, on his way, he met with Jesus.
- [Act 9:17] And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
Immediately, Saul began to preach about Jesus Christ
His name changed from Saul of Tarsus, to Paul the Apostle
He was persecuted many times. He was stoned. He was shipwrecked
However, he continued to preach Christ
Many miracles were wrought through the hands of Paul, that handkerchiefs from his body was healing the sick
This same Saul, wrote half the books in the New Testament
In Romans, he said
- [Rom 1:16] For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
In 1 Corinthians, he said
- [1Co 2:4] And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
In 2 Corinthians, he said
- [2Co 5:17] Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
In Galatians, he said
- [Gal 2:20] I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
In Ephesians, he said
- [Eph 2:8] For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, [Eph 2:9] not of works, lest anyone should boast. [Eph 2:10] For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
In Philippians, he said
- [Php 1:21] For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
In Colossians, he said
- [Col 1:13] He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,
In 1 Thes., he said
- [1Th 5:16] Rejoice always, [1Th 5:17] pray without ceasing, [1Th 5:18] in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
In 2 Thes., he said
- [2Th 3:13] But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary indoing good.
In 1 Tim., he said
- [1Ti 6:12] Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
In 2 Tim., he said
- [2Ti 4:2] Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.
In Titus, he said
- [Tit 2:11] For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,
In Philemon, he said
- [Phm 1:6] that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.
Saul of Tarsus, the persecutor of Christians, became Paul the Apostle, the vessel of Gold unto honor because he allowed God to shape his life.

We are just raw clay until we come into the hands of God
When the Holy Spirit is added to us, our lives begin to transform
Then we must surrender totally into the hands of God
God will allow situations of life to mold us into the vessel that He wants us to be
There could be trying times, However – Rom. 8:28, Is. 43:2, 2 Cor. 4:8-10
- [Rom 8:28] And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
- [Isa 43:2] When you pass through the waters, I will bewith you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.
- [2Co 4:7] But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. [2Co 4:8] We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; [2Co 4:9] persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— [2Co 4:10] always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.
In the end, we shall be a vessel of honor
- [2Ti 2:20] But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. [2Ti 2:21] Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.

Conclusion

We are nothing but a blob of clay until we are in God’s hands
No matter your accomplishment in life, no matter your education, get all the PhDs, PhE’s, PhF’s, we are nothing but a blob of clay
However, when we come into the hands of God, a transformation begins to happen
When the Holy Spirit enters the picture, the transformation continues into the vessel that God wants us to be
In the end, we can claim, just like Paul the Apostle did in 2 Tim. 4:7-8
- [2Ti 4:7] I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. [2Ti 4:8] Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.

Sermon

In The Potter’s Hands